Tucson Shooting Leads to Local Court Emergency

The mass shooting in Tucson is being blamed in part for a judicial emergency declared Tuesday in the Bay Area.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco made an official declaration. Arizona is one of nine western states in the 9th Circuit's jurisdiction.

The court said the rare emergency was needed because of a heavy caseload, judicial vacancies and the death of Chief U.S. District Judge John Roll.

Roll was one of six people killed in the shooting that left Rep. Gabrille Giffords critically injured. A gunman opened fire on the group that had gathered for a "Congress on the Corner" event.

Now courts can extend the U.S. Speedy Trial Act deadlines for bringing criminal defendants to trial, which extends the time line from 70 to 180 days.

Bay City News reported that the federal district of Arizona has the third-highest criminal caseload in the nation, primarily driven by illegal immigration and drug smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border. Most of those cases were handled in the court's Tucson division. The death of Roll leaves only three judges who each have a docket of 1,200 cases.

Judge Roll had worked with Giffords in urging Congress to authorize more judges prior to his death. He had also started the steps to set the emergency declaration in motion.

Chief 9th Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski said Tuesday that he hopes the declaration will prompt action by Congress to establish more judgeships. "The District Court in Arizona urgently needs additional  resources," Kozinski said.

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